DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper (March 29, 1988)

Posted on 12/16/2010 by deedub77
 
Years before Will Smith would become a bona fide Hollywood/Box Office phenomenon, he was known to the world as The Fresh Prince (not of Bel Air but of Philly), the rapper and one half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.  After releasing their gold debut album Rock The House in 1987, the Philly duo came back in 1988 with their sophomore effort He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper, which would go on to sales 6 times as many albums as it predecessor (that would be over 3 million, for all my slow brothers out there).  DJ Jazzy Jeff was always a well respected deejay by those in the know, but in a lot of hip-hop circles the duo’s credibility was questioned do to their comical, self -depreciating brand of hip-hop, which many considered soft when compared to the output of their counterparts. He’s The DJ was definitely a commercial success, but was it actually a good album?
 
Nightmare On My Street – This is Will’s attempt at a “horror core” rap. Apparently the infamous Elm Street is in Philly, as Big Wille spins a tale about his run in with Freddy Krueger. This was mildly interesting while managing to be extremely cheesy at the same time, if that makes any since.
Here We Go Again – Big Willie’s charisma and personality make up for anything he lacks in lyrical prowess. Don’t get me wrong: Will can rap, but I’m pretty sure he’s not in your top 10 either. Will cleverly explains the delay in the release of He’s The DJ (although I wouldn’t consider it a delay as it was pretty much released exactly a year after Rock The House) over a smooth Jazzy Jeff track. This was nice.
Brand New Funk – I’ve always loved this Jazzy Jeff beat, and Willie sounds pretty decent flowing over it. Jazzy Jeff would later rework the same track on his solo release The Magnificent, but instead of Will on the mic Jeff would enlist his fellow Philly neighbor, Petey Crack to handle emcee duties (that version pales in comparison to the original). This still sound really good.
Time To Chill – Jeff pretty much steals George Benson’s instrumental wholesale, but it still works well. Will’s line about Jeff’s beat “bringing love to the heart of a criminal” was kind of weird and doesn’t really make since, but the beat is so relaxing I’ll let it slide. Will does a good job on the mic, and this was pretty enjoyable. Nice start fellas.
Charlie Mack – This was a first…can’t say I’ve ever heard an emcee write an entire song boasting about his bodyguard’s stature and toughness before (matter of fact most rappers would be ashamed to admit they even have a bodyguard in this “hardcore” era). Willie sounds like a little brother pumping up his big brother while he stands behind him, to the neighborhood bully. When you add the below average beat with the weird subject manner this one simply doesn’t work.

As We Go – Big Willie does his best Slick Rick impersonation on this one, but still manages to pull it off.  This was decent. 
Parents Just Don’t Understand – I believe this was the first single, and the biggest reason He’s The DJ would go one to sell a billion copies. This song was brilliant on many levels: What kid hasn’t thought this at one point in their life? Although he doesn’t get the respect he’s due, Will is a pretty solid storyteller.  Slick Rick is considered by many to be the greatest storyteller in all of hip-hop, a title that he is probably well deserving of. One issue I’ve always had with Ricky D is at times it hard to follow his stories do to unclear vocals (or maybe its poor mixing of the vocals with the track), which makes it easy to loose focus on his storylines. When Big Willie is on top of his game his stories come across crystal clear, and almost conversational, as if he and the listener are hanging out and he’s telling you the latest drama (a quality that Jay-Z also possesses). Will keeps your ear attentive with all his inflections, mimics, and role playing, and the story remains pretty entertaining. This was genius (yeah I said it!).
Pump Up The Bass – The duo pays homage to the bass.   Big Willie rhymes a little (I love the grammatical correction he makes to his own line) but this is clearly Jeff’s chance to shine, as he provides sufficient cuts and scratches, which might of made this a enjoyable listen if not for the messy beat underneath it.
Let’s Get Busy Baby – This is Big Willie’s ode to – as we called it back in my day – “slappin skinz”. Over the Stevie Wonder sampled bass line, Will attempts to talk a lady out of her panties. Hey, class clowns need love too.
Live At Union Square (November 1986) – This plays exactly how it reads.  It serves as a reminder that it takes more than strong lyricism to emcee.  Big Willie has complete control of the crowd on this live performance, and Jeff completely murders the turntables.  Almost made me break out the Wii and play Jazzy Jeff’s character on DJ Hero, shoot.
DJ On The Wheels – Based on the song title, I think you’re smart enough to figure out what this one is about.
My Buddy – Big Willie rhymes over his “buddy” Ready Rock C’s beat box. Willie’s countdown of the 10 wack crews he’s wrecked ends abruptly at 4, which is find because it really wasn’t that interesting enough of a story in the first place.
Rhythm Trax – House Party Style – Essentially another deejay cut, while Big Willie only acts as Jeff’s hype man.  It is what it is.
He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper – Jeff cuts on the tables while Will spews his version of battle lyrics, which is hard to take serious, since he clowns around at the beginning and end of the song, and considering the rest of the album’s content. While we all know an emcee of Rakim’s caliber would murder Will in a battle, I wonder how he would weigh (no pun intended) matched against say, Heavy D in a battle. Oh yeah, the song, it sucks.
Hip-Hop Dancer’s Theme – Jeff borrows the same sample used by Run-DMC for “Peter Piper”, and he gets yet another opportunity to display his turntable skills.  This song could have been left off since Jeff’s scratches only get mildly interesting as the song begins to fade out. By the way, this has to be one of the most generic song titles of all time.
Jazzy’s In The House – Interesting, a deejay joint followed up by another deejay joint, really? This would probably be very entertaining live, but it doesn’t hold up well on record.
Human Video Game – Ready Rock C provides yet another beat box for Will to spit a cornball tale about his addiction to video games. The storyline was terrible, the beat boxing was annoying, and the song completely sucks. That’s all folks.
 
He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper lives up to it’s title, in that it equally distributes the spotlight to both Will (on the mic) and Jeff (on the turntables).  He’s The DJ starts of strong on the strength of Will’s charisma and Jeff’s solid production, but the wheels begin to fall off after “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. The Latter portion of He’s The DJ suffers from bland beats, which make you lose focus and become uninterested in what Will has to say (it also doesn’t help that some of his subject matter is mad corny).  He’s The DJ is by no means a classic album, but there are a few enjoyable gems, and it does contain “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, which in my humble opinions is on of the best stories rap has ever told, and sometimes its just nice to hear hip-hop music designed for the “common man” instead of the gangsta.
  
-Deedub
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LL Cool J – Bigger and Deffer (July 22, 1987)

Posted on 11/30/2010 by deedub77

Hot off the success of his 1985 debut Radio, LL came back two years later with his sophomore effort Bigger and Deffer (also referred to by its acronym BAD, which is the title that actually appears on the album cover).  On BAD we find Mr.Smith dumping Rick Rubin and courting the L.A. Posse (who would later go on to release their own album a few years later) to handle the production duties (I’d be interested to know what influenced that decision if anyone might know, hit me up in the comments). I’ve always been of the belief that Radio’s biggest downfall was it production.  How will LL’s lyrics sound over the L.A. Posse’s production?  Let’s give her a listen, shall we?

I’m Bad – Mr. Smith starts things out on a “hungry” note.  LL rips the bass heavy track from the L.A. Posse to shreds. Mr. Smith’s line encouraging you to “eat Cool J cookies” was pretty corny (although, back in the day I thought it was pretty dope).  Which got me thinking: as heavily as hip-hop artist are used to market everything, I wonder why we haven’t seen a rapper endorsing food. They got the beverage and cell phone thing covered, but couldn’t you see a Popeye’s Chicken commercial sampling Nas’ “Fried Chicken”?

Kanday – Mr. Smith spins a tale about Kanday, his “personal skeez” who apparently is pretty good in the kitchen too.  LL begins the third verse he’s “feeling gooder than good”.  “Gooder”?  Really Todd?  If you’re reading this and are saying to yourself, “what’s wrong with that?”, immediately shut off your computer and go enroll in a remedial English class at your local Community College. LL ride the minimal track nicely and the vocal sample over the hook was catchy, and works pretty nice. Stay in school kids.

Get Down – Hi-larious to hear him dis Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon (too soon) on the first verse. This sounds like something that should have gone on the album in between “Radio” and “BAD”, that doesn’t exist. That statement is open for interpretation.

The Bristol Hotel – LL gives us the lowdown on the hookers who, apparently all work out of room 515 at the Bristol Hotel. LL spits the verses effortlessly and paints an entertaining story.  The line in the third verse about the hooker’s southern region smelling like “someone died” was pretty hilarious, but the laughs seize in the very next line with an unexpected twist. I wonder if the message in the song was intentional or accidental on LL’s behalf.  Either way this worked well. 

My Rhyme Ain’t Done – LL delivers 6 fairytales (that plays like one long verse as each story ends with a brief one line hook) about everything from The President and the Pope, to hanging out with Mickey Mouse and picking up a couple of “skeezers”: he even manages to reference Alice Kramden’s ass in a story (I guess I never thought of Alice as being sexy but apparently Mr. Smith did).  This was very random and original, which is probably why it worked so well. Nice job Mr. Smith.

.357 – Break It Down – See the notes on “Get Down”. He already used the term “deffer” (which I didn’t attack since def is slang anyways) and “gooder”, but now “badder”? And know he didn’t mean batter.

Go Cut Creator Go – Similar to Radio’s “Dangerous”, LL sings (or raps) praises to his DJ Cut Creator.  The L.A. Posse samples elements of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” (while borrowing the refrain from said song as well) which teeters between corny and decent.

The Breakthrough – LL murders this 4 minute one-verse wonder, and manages to sound hungrier (if at all possible) then he did on “Bad”.  I still laugh at the line “if Russia bombed the U.S. they’d be scared to touch Queens”. This was very well done (even though he manages to use “badder” again. Stay in school kids).

I Need Love – How in the hell do you go from the previous song to this?  WTF, are you serious?  If you know anything about hip-hip you’ve heard this before. LL gives us his, what would become signature, love rap, over a very cheesy Casio keyboard beat. While this was better than the feeble attempts on Radio (and most of the attempts on his future works) it’s still really corny.  What does he mean he loves her more “than a man whose 10 feet tall”? I guess I didn’t get the memo that love is measurable by height?  Wow, LL not only are you romantic but deep.  I guess he should get props for starting the standard “love rap” on a rap album requirement. Nah.

Ahh, Lets Get Ill –  See the notes on “Get Down”.  LL uses numerous combinations of words that start with the letter “L” (or as he refers to it, “rockin’ “L” after “L”), which allegedly explains what “LL” means.

The Do Wop – Mr. Smith takes us through a day in the life of LL Cool J (which apparently turns out to be a dream) in one long verse. Rhetorical question: if you tell a women your trying to seduce her, does it still qualify as seduction?  The sample used by the L.A. Posse (I think Blu used the same one on some random recording he did in recent years) was very nice and LL’s story was pretty entertaining.

On The Ill Tip – This should of been tacked on to the end of “The Do Wop”, or altogether deleted from BAD .  This was a useless outro.

Radio gave us a young and hungry LL Cool J. That same hunger is present on BAD, but the song ideas and lyrical content have vastly improved, as LL sounds more comfortable behind the mic.  L.A Posse’s production is a much better fit for LL to paint on, compared to the canvases provided by Mr. Rubin on Radio.  While there all some awkward moments, and songs that downright don’t work, overall BAD is a pretty enjoyable album from a young Cool James.

-Deedub

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Eric B & Rakim – Paid In Full (July 7, 1987)

Posted on 11/27/2010 by deedub77

 

Paid In Full is the debut album from the legendary duo Eric B & Rakim, hailing from Long Island, NY. As the story goes: In 1985 Eric Barrier, then a deejay at WBLS in NY, was in search of an emcee to compliment his musical works. Through a series of events Eric would eventually link up with up and coming emcee, William Griffin – better known to the world as Rakim- and as they say the rest is history. Paid In Full marks the mythical beginning of arguably the greatest emcee of all time (Kool Moe Dee would beg to differ), Rakim.  Paid In Full is considered by many to be the greatest album of all time, including The Source, who added it to their 5 mic list in 2002. Random factoid: The majority of Paid In Full was recorded at Marley Marl’s home studio, as he and Rakim were roommates at one point.

Let’s see if Eric’s beats and William’s ryhmes are worthy of the classic status that Paid In Full is usually praised with.

I Ain’t No Joke – “Even if it’s jazz or the quiet storm, I hook a beat up convert it into hip-hop form”…wow! Right off the jump Rakim comes off cool and collected, with an unmatched mastery of the English language, unlike hip-hop had seen before him. This song is laced with hip-hop quotable after quotable, and Eric B’s beat matches Rakim’s precise rhymes perfectly. Nice way to start the show.

Eric B Is On The Cut – Eric B gets a chance to show his skills on the wheels of steel for nearly 4 minutes. This was mediocre at best, it sounds slightly better then mediocre if you considerate it merely an intermission for the real star of this show, Rakim.

My Melody – Marley Marl gets a production credit (he did syntherze it, after all ) on this one, as a hungry Ra rips this minimal beat to shreds. Every other line in this song has literally been sampled and used in a hip-hop song by nearly everyone. The “I Ain’t No Joke” line “you’ll be one of those seven emcees”, will make more sense after hearing the rhyme about the “21 emcees” (arguably the greatest line ever spat on wax). Rakim’s flow was so impressive I didn’t realize there was a beat in the background. Seriously, this wasn’t accapella?

I Know You Got Soul – Hank Shocklee of the legendary Bombsquad, once said in an interview, that this was the greatest hip-hop record ever made. While this is definitely a banger, it’s not even the best song on Paid In Full.  As usual, Ra rips Eric’s (very nice) beat to shreds.

Move The Crowd – Mr. Barrier provides another proficient track for Rakim to completely dismantle, and he manages to teach you a lesson or two in the process. Nice.

Paid In Full – The bass line alone easily makes this the best track on Paid In Full, and there’s no need to waste word space describing how Rakim comes off on this. This should be in everyone’s top 10 hip-hip song of all-time list, no question.

As The Rhyme Goes On – Mr. Barrier samples Barry White’s classic “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More babe” (which is way too long of a song title, but I digress), mixing it with heavy drums and tweaks the bass line to give it a dark and mysterious feel. Oh, Rakim? He kills it.

Chinese Arithmetic – I have one word, boring. But if you apply the same rule mentioned on “Eric B Is On The Cut”, you’ll be okay.

Eric B Is President – “I came through the door, I said it before”. This song is filled with hip-hop quotables (like the majority of the songs on Paid In Full) that you’ve heard sampled by several other artist. This still bangs today.

Extended Beat – What a generic name for a song title, but is does give an accurate description of the song. This is simply the instrumental for “Move The Crowd”. Whatever, it is what it is.

My version of Paid In Full is a 2005 re-release, and it includes the following bonus songs:

As The Rhyme Goes On (Radio Mix) – Same as the original with a few extra scratches.

Paid In Full Mini Madness (The Cold Cut Remix) – Extended version of the original with a few added vocal samples. If you have an older print of Paid In Full there is absolutely no reason to track this version down, as the bonus cuts add nothing to the album.

Paid In Full presents us with a young Rakim beginning his quest on the journey to becoming the G.O.A.T. There is no question Rakim is a great lyricist, but his cool, calm and poised demeanor are what set him apart from the rest. Mr. Barrier’s instrumentals compliment Rakim’s complex poetry, perfectly – but there is no question this is Rakim’s show.

Did The Source Get It Right? Even with the three useless instrumentals, Rakim’s lyrical potency alone is enough to make Paid In Full a bona fide classic. This is arguably one of the top 5 hip-hop album ever made. Yeah, I said!

– Deedub

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Salt ‘N Pepa – Hot, Cool & Vicious (December 8, 1986)

Posted on 11/26/2010 by deedub77

(Hi kids.  Since I’m going in chronilogical order, this post should of gone before or after the Kool Moe Dee review (not sure which way since I’m not sure when in 86′ Kool Moe Dee was released).  Enjoy, and go ahead and leave a comment below).

Hot, Cool & Vicious 

 

  

Beauty and The Beat

Tramp (Remix) – The ladies provide an ode to all the promiscuous brothers. In a world where women are frowned upon and men are praised for being hoes, this song doesn’t quite work as an effective insult. The bass line underneath this effective Luvbug beat was enjoyable. Ah, I get it: win the guys over with “Push It”, and then get the ladies on your side with “Tramp”. Not a bad marketing plan, Hurby.

I’ll Take Your Man – Let me get this right. According to Salt ‘N Pepa: men are tramps for banging several women but its okay for women to take your man if you piss them off? Really? To add insult to injury, after stealing said man from said women, they have the audacity to refer to the victim of their theft as a tramp. Really? This was pretty funny and short, so it not long enough to get boring or annoying.

It’s All Right – Over an overly simplistic drum beat, Hurby, I mean Salt ‘N Pepa, spit their version of battle rhymes, which wasn’t the best idea as neither lady is remotely convincing. Salt, thanks for taking the time to let world know your government name.

Chick On The Side (Remix) – The ladies who “will take your man” throw verbal blows when they discover their boyfriends have chicks on the side (karma’s a bitch, aint it?) I’ve never heard the original version of this song and honestly I’m not dying to hear it either. The remix is enough to suffice – this was okay.

I Desire – Over a familiar beat, Hurby, I mean, Salt ’N Pepa make another attempt at a battle rap. While it’s not as bad as their previous attempt on “It’s Alright”, I’m sure MC Lyte’s not shaking in her boots.

The Showstopper – Speaking of battles: the ladies go after Dougie Fresh and Slick Rick (I’m not sure why, if anybody knows why hit me up in the comments)? Salt does her best Slick Rick impression, with terrible results, as she rehashes pieces of “La di da di”. This was terrible. So terrible it might be the worst dis song ever recorded. Seriously, it’s that bad.

My Mike Sounds Nice – You’ve heard the opening bass line used before on about a zillion other rap songs. Pepa comes out the box spitting nice lines (“if I was a book I would sell, cause every curve on my body’s got a story to tell”) and also manages to display her Jamaican roots as she does a little dancehall chanting. Nice way to end the show Hurby, I mean, Salt ‘N Pepa.

Geppetto (aka Hurby Luvbug) shows potential, and at times strokes of genius, in production and marketing on Hot, Cool & Vicious. Ultimately, Hot, Cool & Vicious only contains a handful of good songs (which includes the mega hit “Push It”), and the quartet (you gotta include Geppetto in the group) fail to hold the listener’s attention for the duration of the album. The album did leave me wondering how a Hurby Luvbug album, written, performed, and produced by himself, would sound.

-Deedub

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Boogie Down Production – Criminal Minded (March 3, 1987)

Posted on 11/25/2010 by deedub77

Criminal Minded is the debut album from Bronx crew Boogie Down Productions (which at this point consisted of  Krs-One,  Deejay Scott La Rock, and tag-a-long homie D-Nice).  As the story goes, shortly after the release of Criminal Minded Scott La Rock was gunned down while attempting to break up an argument/fight.  While Scott was around to help with a portion of the production on BDP’s sophomore effort By All Means Necessary, Criminal Minded is the only BDP album that Scott LaRock was a part of from beginning to end. 

On a lighter note, this is where the legacy of the legendary lyricist Kris Parker, better known to the world as Krs-One, begins.  Many consider Krs-One to be one (if not the) of the greatest emcees ever to touch a mic.  The Source also included Criminal Minded on there 2002 revised 5 mic list.  Now, over 20 years from its original release does will it still measure up?

Poetry – Nice introduction for the Blastmaster.  Simple but nice track with precise cuts from LaRock while Krs-One rocks the mic lovely.  Great way to start the album.

South Bronx – D-Nice gets his first vocal appearance on wax, as he gets exactly 10 seconds of mic time in the form of a brief conversation with Scott at the beginning of the song.  The Blastmaster shares the history of hip-hop (reinforcing its origins to the Bronx) while taking a few shots at his then rival MC Shan. Although Mr. Parker’s rhymes sound dated this still sounds okay. 

9mm Goes Bang – Mr. Parker hits us with a reggae-flavored gangsta rap giving praise to the work his 9mm puts in on his enemies. This is a far cry from the conscious Krs-One most BDP fans are use to.  This was…okay I guess. 

Word From Our Sponsor – Krs-One’s sound pretty nice, but the best part of this song is the break La Rock scratches in on the hook. Pretty nice.

Elementary – Krs-One explains the acronym that makes up his name, while lyrically impressing again on this track.  Ironically the beat matches the title of the song (that’s not a compliment), hindering the overall effectiveness of the song.

Dope Beat – Mr. Parker’s enthusiasm for Scott LaRock’s beat is similar to a kid unwrapping that new toy he wanted for Christmas, and for the third consecutive year proclaiming this the best “Christmas ever”.  While I don’t know if I would call it a dope beat, the guitar sample on the hook does make it mildly interesting.  Wait – did he just take a shot at Run? Hmm… 

Remix For The P Is Free – I can’t help but think about Black Star’s “Definition”, which used the same beat many moons later.  The beat still sounds nice as Krs-One seamlessly moves between his reggae chant and straight spit,  while never disrupting his flow as he talks about the ladies, or as he calls them hoes.  Again, it feels strange to here Mr. Parker use this term, but this is still a young Kris. That said this still bangs today. 

The Bridge Is Over – Probably the most important dis record ever made (I said important not best, there is a difference).  Krs-One goes after the legendary Juice Crew, and does a pretty good job rippin’ em.  I’ve always loved the piano sample used on the track, although it sounds a bit empty today. 

Super Hoe – I hate this song.  From the terrible singing, to that annoying sample of the ringing phone used on the hook (answer the phone dammit!), to Krs-One bragging, about of all things…the skinz La Rock gets? Really?  Dude, you’re gay.

Criminal Minded – BDP closes things out with the title song.  The beat is simple but effective, and Kris sounds as good as he did on “Poetry” (although he did sound kind of awkward when he tells those who can’t rock the house to “not open their mouths”). This was a nice way to close the show.

Criminal Minded finds Kris Parker showing signs of the polished emcee he would become in the years to follow, but ultimately, the overall lackluster production makes this a hard listen (specifically the middle portion of the album).  Lengend has it that Cedgee (of Ultramagnetic M.C.s) contributed to some of the production on Criminal Minded (in the liner notes they give a “special thank you to Cedgee”), but he is never officially given credit. Based on the overall quality of the beats, that might not be a bad thing. 

Did The Source Get It Right?  I respect Krs-One’s emcee ability like the next man, and you can’t deny he is one of the top 5 (arguably number 1) ever to do it. But Criminal Minded does not contain his best lyrical output, and when paired with the inconsistent production, Criminal Minded is definitely not worthy of 5 mics. Criminal Minded is a solid debut, with a few classic songs that serve as a starting point for a legendary emcee (and crew) that would go on to bless the world with a lot more quality music.

-Deedub

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Yo! Bum Rush The Show (January 26, 1987)

Posted on 11/23/2010 by deedub77

Yo!  Bum Rush The Show is the debut album from the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy.  PE was compiled of lead emcee Chuck D, crew clown Flavor Flav,  Terminator X (the deejay), Professor Griff and the S1W’s (other than look intimidating and bustin’ a couple dance steps now and then, I’m not sure what purpose they served to the music…I recently saw them on Ceelo Green’s show Lay It Down, and, will just say they haven’t been diligent with their exercise regiment, these solders have been a little to at ease), and The Bombsquad (led by Hank Shocklee, his brother Keith Shocklee, Eric Sadler, and Gary “G-Wiz” Rinaldo). I feel like I just read off all the credits at the end of Avatar. 

To make a long story short:then, college radio deejay Bill Stephney was hired by Def Jam, and his first assigment was to sign an unsigned Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, (better know as Chuck D, it just sounds funny to refer to him as Carlton).  Since Bill had already worked with Carlton during his deejay days at WBAU, Rick Rubin sent Stephney to recruit Carlton. Add Flav and the rest of the crew, and the rest is history..

Many of you are probably familiar with their latter work, most likely their second effort It Takes A Nation of Millions, which received both commercial and critical acclaim (and created an equal amount of controversy), and is heralded by many as the greatest hip-hop album of all-time (but will discuss that at a later date). Yo! Bum Rush To Show is where the legacy of Chuck D and crew, begins. How does it sound over 20 years later?  Lets find out.

You’re Gonna Get Yours – Kind of ironic to hear one of the most militant/conscious emcees open things up with an ode to his 98’ Oldsmobile.  Chuck, being the thinker that he is, probably thought this would be a good way to get the brothers attention, and it ends up sounding pretty decent.

Sophisticated Bitch – Carlton hits us with a dedication to all the uppity women out there. The track serves as a decent canvas for Carlton to paint on.  The last line about the lady getting beat down to near death like proportions was pretty amusing (ah, listen to it before you call mean heartless) Sooooooo!  This was kind of nice. 

Miuzi Weighs A Ton – Carlton uses a nice metaphor comparing his vocal to an uzi.  This is a rare “battle” rhyme from Carlton, but he actually sounds pretty good doing it. Nice rhymes to a decent track, this was pretty entertaining. 

Timebomb –  Carlton rips this one (extended) verse wonder,  over a minimal beat that lets Carlton shine and show his skill.  Carlton may be remembered as a rapping activist but he lets the world know he is not only a conscious rapper  but a more than capable emcee who can rip shit if he so chooses.  This was dope! 

Too Much Posse – Flavor Flav gets a chance at a solo joint.  I’ll just say this, there is definitely a reason Carlton is the lead emcee.  Thankfully this is just one verse so it’s over pretty quick. 

Rightstarter – This is more of the Carlton that most listeners will remember him by.  This was a decent enough conscious song.

Public Enemy – Hilarious to hear Flavor Flav refer to Carlton as “Chucky D”.  Carlton once again spits a potent battle rap to anybody who questions his ability, over a minimal but effective track (I’m starting to sound like a broken record).  As the track fades out, Flavor sounds like the little brother, whose big brother just knocked out the neighborhood bully on his little brother’s behalf.  Chuck sounds refreshingly hungry on this one. 

M.P.E. –For the first time on this album, Carlton and Flav trade verse on the same song.  While Carlton sounds good and Flav sounds like, well, Flav, the track is too boring to even care.  Can someone tell me what MPE means?  Wait, I don’t even care.

Yo! Bum Rush The Show – Once again Carlton’s booming vocal sounds decent but the beats sounds empty and boring.  Most entertaining part of this song is Flavor Flav’s random rants in between Carlton’s verses. 

Raise The Roof – I guess this is PE’s attempt at a party song?  No wait, Carlton’s last verse it way too meaty to be called a Party song.  Eric Sadler gets his first and only production credit on the album, as co-producer of this track.  This was forgettable. 

Megablast – Carlton and Flavor simultaneously spit the verses on this song, not only about the crack dealer, but also the the crack head.  Carlton sounds a little uninspired on the second verse. Overall this was okay.

Terminator X Speaks With his Hands – And this one pretty much plays how it reads.  Mr. X gets a shot to display his skills but doesn’t do much, for me at least. 

Yo! Bum Rush The Show (is the “Yo” really necessary?) presents us with a young Chuck D, who seems more concerned with rep, rank, and swagger then battling the status quo with musical messages, which on the next PE album he would begin to mature into. That said, it was kind of nice to hear Carlton just emcee for emcee sake, as he sounds pretty good doing it.  But don’t get it confused, he still manages to sprinkle a few jewels while doing it.  We also get to hear Flavor play his best court jester role, that he would perfect on the next few albums.  Hank Shocklee’s (and the rest of the Bombsquad) got their feet wet on the production, and do a dcent job, overall.  Yo!Bum Rush The Show by no means is a classic album but it does have its glimpses of greatness.  It was nice to hear where the young men from PE started, compared to what they would maturate into (and in Flav’s case, later destroy his rep with the minstrel show that was Flavor Of Love).

-Deedub

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Kool Moe Dee – Kool Moe Dee (1986)

Posted on 11/18/2010 by deedub77
In 1986, Kool Moe Dee released his self titled debut, Kool Moe Dee.  Kool Moe Dee, formerly of the pioneering rap group, The Treacherous Three, is probably best remembered for his infamous battle with LL Cool J.  Moe Dee (who was a well respected emcee back in the early eighties) accused LL of stealing his rhymes and proclaiming himself king without out paying his dues (I find it interesting in the album notes liner notes, he “thanks” LL amongst others, for “breaking his style through”…it reeks of sarcasm). Based on the fact that LL is still making music (which at times I wonder why) and Moe Dee hasn’t released an album anyone has actually listened to since 91′, its pretty safe to say LL won the war.  In Moe Dee’s 2003 book release There’s A God On The Mic, he “modestly” named himself the 5th greatest emcee of all time, while LL came in at 7th.  The fact that Moe Dee proclaimed himself a better emcee than LL is not as shocking as the fact he also ranks himself above such greats as Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, Kool G Rap, and a bunch of other emcees that would rap circles around the little burnt up French Fry.  I happened upon Kool Moe Dee at a local Pawn America a year or so ago, while on one of my many used cd excursions, and paid a whopping 99 cents for it.  While I’m familiar with the work on his latter solo projects (i.e. How Ya Like Me Now and Knowledge Is King), I’ve never heard Kool Moe Dee in its entirety.  On that note let’s give this disc a spin and see if our humble host is worthy of the praise he showers himself with.
 
Go See The Doctor – Moe Dee starts things off with a cautionary tale about being overly promiscuous.  The open line (I was walking down the street, rocking my beat, clamping my hands, and stomping my feet) paints a pretty funny visual.  Can you imagine a dude walking down the street, with headphones on, clapping his hands and periodically stopping to stomp his feet? Hi-larious!  This song is filled with sound bites other artist would later sample.  Moe Dee demonstrates his strong storytelling ability over a simple but decent enough track.  This was a pretty good start to the show, nicely done Moe Dee. 

Dumb Dick (Richard) – Moe Dee keeps with the storytelling, this time spinning a tale about a guy name Dick who thinks with his, um, dick.  Moe Dee uses very clever wordplay (“he hated to go (to school), but he loved to cum”) over an empty drum beat.  Even with the empty beat, Moe Dee’s lyrics are engaging and entertaining enough to keep this song from getting boring. This was enjoyable.

Bad Mutha – Moe Dee hits us with a battle rap, not necessary aimed at Mr. Smith, although he does refer to a “ biting barbaric” who rhymes over “fresh beats with weak lyrics”. Hmmm…I love how he takes a shot at Slick Rick, claiming to like his songs a lot, only to turn around and call him an “average” emcee.  I have to admit, Moe Dee killed it on this one, living up to the song title. 

Little Jon – Just so opposing emcees can regroup after being destroyed on the previous song, Moe Dee goes back to his proficient storytelling.  This time he gives us a tale about Lil Jon (no, not the crunk captain that reigns in ATL, YEAH!) who is overcome by the demons of street life. Though I wasn’t crazing about the beat, the syntherzied track sounds more complete the most of what we’ve heard up to this point on Kool Moe Dee, thanks to a few guitar licks, and the Roger Troutman-like vocal on the hook.  This was decent.

Do You Know What Time It Is?  –  Moe Dee sends a warning to the ladies: you won’t get in his pockets, though, he’ll try to get in your pants, because he knows the time.  This was…okay…I guess

Rock Steady – I failed to mention this earlier, but the entire album was produced by Moe Dee and the Godfather of New Jack Swing, Teddy Riley (and a few other dudes I’ve never heard of). Moe Dee would continue to work with Riley on his latter work, a few which became major hits. Oh yeah, back to the song, it sucked. 

Monster Crack – Ah, clever Moe Dee… smooth transition from “Rock Steady” into “Monster Crack”.  Moe Dee tackles the issue of crack use from several different perspectives. Once again, Moe Dee’s rhymes are proficient, but the track left a lot to be desire. Though the rhymes are pretty good, unlike some of the earlier songs, they’re not interesting enough to ignore the lacking track, making this just, okay. 

The Best –  Right from the jump, Moe Dee in your face with a lecture on the elements that make up a great emcee, and he never lets up.  Moe Dee is college educated, and I think I read somewhere at one point he was a college professor.  Over one of the more engaging beats on the album, Moe Dee rips this to shreds,  while learnin’ opposing emcees a lesson or two. I will no longer sleep, Moe Dee can spit! This was really nice.

I’m Kool Moe Dee – Moe Dee poses the question “Are you crazy?”, to anyone questioning his position in the emcee food chain.  Moe Dee proclaims himself as the greatest of all time, while calling out emcees who’ve made their name by “screamin and yellin’” (if this isn’t a direct shot at LL, then I don’t know what one is).  The simple drum beat works well with Moe Dee’s rhymes on this one, as he completely destroys this one.  Moe Dee is a beast! Great way to end your solo debut.

I’ll admit, my knowledge of hip-hop from the early 80’s is limited. I’m always searching the net, local pawn shops, and record stores for more albums from those early days. That said, from the stuff that I’ve listened to from this era, Koo Moe Dee definitely deserves to be mentioned in the conversation as the best (at least during that era). Looking back at the reviews I’ve done up to this point, Moe Dee makes Run DMC, the Beasties, and Whodini, all sound like amateurs compared to his lyrical output on Kool Moe Dee.  Young LL had one album under his belt upon this album’s release,  and while he would improve, and in my eyes ultimately when the war of words with Moe Dee, Mr. Smith wasn’t fuckin’ with Moe Dee at this point.  Kool Moe Dee proves that Moe Dee he is a bona-fide lyricist (with a bit of a chip on his shoulder) ready to take on anyone who crossed his path or questions his ability and dominance.  Although Moe Dee, Mr. Riley, and the rest of the production team’s beats needed a lot of work (like most earlier 80’s hip-hop artist), Moe Dee’s emcee skills carry this album to make it an overall enjoyable listen. Sorry for doubting you Mr. Moe Dee.

-Deedub

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Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (November 15, 1986)

Posted on 11/16/2010 by deedub77
 

 

The Beastie Boys are the punk, turn rap trio from Brooklyn, who helped build the empire known as Def Jam. In 1986 they released their debut album Licensed To Ill, which went on to sale a gazillion copies, and cemented Rick Rubin as one of the best hip-hop producers of his time. If you would like a more thorough background on the trio and the creation of this album, I encourage you to check out http://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com/search/label/Beastie%20Boys and read Max’s write up on Licensed To Ill.  I’ve always wondered if the trio’s popularity was based on pure talent or more on the novelty of a white act taking part in a musical genre dominated (and created) by African Americans.  Just a thought.  The Source awarded Licensed To Ill a five mic rating in 2002. 

Rhymin & Stealin – Dope Beat!  Right off the bat Mr Rubin starts the show with a banger.  While The Beasties don’t say anything memorable (other then the reference to Ali Babba and the 40 thieves), but still manage to sound decent.  Nice way to start your debut. 

The New Style – There are quite a few recognizable lines in this song that would later be sampled by other artist.  Mike D’s line about liking under aged girls was kind of distrubing, and I don’t remember the Beasties being so violent (MCA is gangsta!).  Mike D’s impromptu English accent on this song was pretty funny (its sounds believable, him being from Brooklyn and all).  Overall this was…okay.

She’s Crafty – Mr. Rubin you’ve done it again!  I love the guitar rift that the boys share lines on about a slick chick named Lucy.  The fellas chemistry really shines through as they bounce off each other to stitch together a pretty interesting story.  This was pretty enjoyable.  

Posse In Effect – The trio spit random crap about absolutely nothing, and Mike D pulls out his “Brenglish” accent again for this one.  This ends just in time to avoid reaching the annoying level.

Slow Ride – Wow, I don’t remember the Beasties obession with guns on Licensed To Ill either.  It’s kind of funny to hear their gun talk over a beat that samples the same song used as the theme music for Pee- Wee’s Big Adventure.  Although it was humorous, it wasn’t effective. 

 Girls – Wow…horny and very corny…next!

Fight For Your Right – Ah, the offical frat party anthem.  If you’ve got ears you’ve heard this song before.  I’ve always hated this song, and that hatred is just as strong 20 plus years later.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn – Yeah boy, now Me. Rubin is back in the building!  Rick laced this track with nasty guitar licks  and a very sick solo at the end.  As usual, the boys hit the track nicely without saying anything memorable.  I wonder what Run-DMC would of sounded like on this track?  This still sounds good today and actually sounds like something an artist might use today.

Paul Revere – Classic!  This might be one of the top ten hip-hop songs of all time (yeah I said it, what?!).  The boys ride Mr. Rubin’ssimple, but effective beat like P. Rev road his horse during that midnight run to warn his peeps of the pending British invasion (he would of been wonderful working on the Def Jam street team, I see you William Dawes).  Dope beat and storytelling at its best-this just reminded me why I fell in love with hip-hop in the first place. 

Hold It Now, Hit Now – I love the way “Revere” merges into this track.  I’ve always liked this song for its quirky feel and the organized, yet chaotic beat on the hook.  Though I love it, I could see how someone new to the Beastie’s brand wouldn’t feel this.

Brass Money – You’ve heard this song before.  I’ve never cared for this song and I’m sticking to my story.  The beat’s corny and the boys don’t cover any new territory with their rhymes.  I’m seeing a pattern here: if the beat bangs the Beasties random lyrics sound good, but if the beat sucks, all of a sudden the randomness isn’t quite as entertaining…hmmm.

Slow And Low – This was decent and easy to digest.  With so many White Castle references I’m shocked they didn’t get an endorsement deal.  The beat sounds a lot like LL’s “Rock The Bells”, which shouldn’t be a surprise, since Mr. Rubin is responsible for both tracks.

Time To Get Ill – The beat definitely fits the song’s title as Mr. Rubin uses random vocal samples and scratches throughout.  MCA boast that he “has mor rhymes then Phyllis Diller”? WTF!  This was okay, at best.

One thing that remains consistent for the duration of Licensed To Ill: When Mr. Rubin’s production shines the boys shine, but unfortunately when the tracks don’t work the boys lyrically sound dim. Let’s be honest, the Beastie Boys were and never will be great lyricists, its more their free-spirited vibe that makes them so infectious, which in the end makes Rick Rubin the most essential piece to Licensed To Ill.  Did The Source Get It Right?  While Licensed To Ill  was a commercial success, after listening to it today it’s definitely not a 5 micer.  With that said, it contains one of the best hip-hop songs ever created and a handful of good songs, which makes it a solid effort.

-Deedub

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Whodini – Back In Black (October 25,1986)

Posted on 11/09/2010 by deedub77

Back in Black is Whodini’s third release, and happens to be the only Whodini album I own.  Most of you have at least heard of the trio from Brooklyn, made up of emcees Ecstasy and Jalil, and deejay Grandmaster Dee.  Riding high on the success of their 1984 sophomore effort, Escape (“5 Minutes of Funk”…”Friends”…”Freaks Come Out At Night”…that album…please say you remember at least one of those songs, I’d hate to feel old all by myself), the boys came back (and for some reason felt it very necessary to sport black, as not only the the album title suggest, but they also don all black on the album cover as seen above…although, it would of been hilarious to have the same album title and the trio decked out in fuchsia for the album cover), and were able to build on its predecessor’s success, as Back In Black would eventually go platinum as well.  As I read the liner notes, I found it interesting that Larry Smith (the same Larry Smith would handled production duties for Run-DMC’s debut album) was responsible for the production on Back In Black.  How will Larry’s beats compliment Whodini’s flow?  Let’s find out.

Funky Beat –  Most of you have probably heard this at least once in your life. Larry Smith starts this one out with a pretty nice beat that surprisingly still sound pretty good.  And the lyrics?  Let’s just say you can tell this is 1986.  Right off the bat you can tell Ecstasy is the more polished emcee of the two (he even takes the time to show off his mastery of addition, which was pretty corny). It was nice to see the deejay get a chance behind the mic, although he shouldn’t quit his night job to start writing rhymes fulltime.  What in the hell does Jalil mean by “All deejays are created equal”?  Is that a compliment or a dis to his deejay?  While we’re talking about disses, was the line about not “needing a big ole band” a shot at anyone in particular?  Overall nice way to start the album as it kind of breaks the ice and welcomes you to their album, over a funky beat … Ooh wee! 

One Love – Arguably their biggest hit (if not Freaks Come Out”), I’m sure you’ve all heard this song,  or at least the hook used or referenced in some other song.  The two emcees trade versus about how fortunate one is to experience true love in life, with out sounding corny.  Nice to see both emcees get personal and vulnerable on their verses.  The only downer about this song is the lame explanation of each of the letters that make up the word “love”: pretty lazy with the acronym fellas!  This still sounds great today. 

Growing Up – Ecstasy and Jalil drop jewels about the maturation process and the lessons they’ve learned going from boys to men.  I love the bass line on this one, and it still sounds good today.  Larry Smith’s production has definitely “grown up” since his work on Run-DMC’s first album. I’m A Hoe – And then he hits us with this crap. Jalil rolls solo on this one and brags about the crew’s sexapades over a almost non existence but still very annoying beat (or should I say beep, that is literally what it sounds like). On the second verse he claims not to touch another man’s “property” (as if women are cattle), but by the end of the same verse he’s impregnated another man’s wife. Between the annoying beep, the corny lyrics, the juvenile flow, and the terrible hook, this song sucks.  Ecstasy was wise enough not to come anywhere near this train wreck.

How Dare You – I’ll take this time to say this: though Ecstasy wasn’t a “great” lyricist, he should be recognized for having one of the best rap voices in the history of hip-hop.  Other than that I got nothing folks…

Fugitive – Not sure what this song has to do with being a fugitive. This must have been the trio’s attempt at a “rock hop” song to give them some of that Run DMC commercial success. I could take or leave this one, you be the judge.

Echo Scratch – Living proof that there is nothing new under the sun. Before the abuse of auto-tunes took over the music industry, Whodini experimented with the computerized voice effect. This was mediocre at best.  Next…

Last Night – My, my, my, the hook is reminiscent of someone running their fingernails across a chalkboard.  I like the bass line, and Ecstasy kicks two nice verses, but other then that this was annoying as hell.

The Whodini Mega Mix – This plays out just as it reads.  The trio mash together the biggest hits in their catalog (i.e. “Freaks Come Out”, “Five Minutes”,  “Big Mouth”) and it plays out like a Whodini mix tape.   This was cool, although it was a weird way to close out an album.

The Good Part – And the excruciatingly painful hooks continue where “Last Night” left off.  The beat is all over the placed and sounds forced. This wasn’t good.

Back In Black starts out strong on the strength of Larry Smith’s production (surprisingly) and Ecstasy’s polished vocal, but quickly fades, as the production grows boring in the middle and doesn’t picks up steam again, until the mega mix (which in my book doesn’t count ,since its a bunch of snippets of previously released songs), which by then is too late. On a positive note, even though Mr Smith’s beats tend to reside on the dull side, they definitely sound more complete and diverse then his offerings on Run-DMC’s debut.  Random thought: who would you take in a battle, Run or Ecstasy?

-Deedub

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Run DMC – Raising Hell (July 18, 1986)

Posted on 11/07/2010 by deedub77

Raising Hell is the third release (thanks for catching my error, Caliex!) from Run-DMC.  After virtually using three different beats to craft 9 songs (go ahead, listen to it…I’ll wait) on their self titled debut, there was a lot of room for improvement left for Raising Hell.  But that was 1984 and this is 1986.  Exit Larry Smith enter Rick Rubin to handle production duties.  Like its predecessor, Raising Hell was also added to the “The Source 5 mic club” in 2002.  How will the trio pair over the heavily rock influenced production of  Mr. Rubin?  We shall find out.

Peter Piper – Classic Run DMC song.  Right off the bat the production sounds a billion times better than the last album.  The Queens duo spit random rhymes referencing Nursery Rhymes and classic kid stories.  This still sounds good.

Tricky – Ah, classic Rick Rubin hip-rock.  Mr. Rubin’s production sounds 100% better then what he put out on Cool James’ debut, Radio.  Raising Hell is off to a pretty good start.

My Adidas – The duo pay homage to their sneaker of choice. The beat is simple but still effective.  Even though I’m a Nike guy, this song bangs!

Walk This Way – I love the way My Adidas transitions into this.  If you haven’t heard this song before you seriously must live under a rock.  Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame, renders his vocals (and his song) for Run DMC to rap over.  Lyrically, Run and D sound like preschoolers, but the song’s overall energy still make the song bearable. I never loved this song but I can listen to it without skipping it.  Then again, I also sat through Matt Damon’s train wreck The Informant! in its entirety without walking out the theater, so I’m a pretty patience dude.

Is It Live – The liner notes say the drums were programmed my Sam Sever, who would later find employment doing production work on 3rd Bass’ first album, and make up one half of the group Downtown Science (a hip-hop group from the mid nineties I’m sure most of you haven’t heard of ).  The drum beat has that DC go-go sound that I never cared for, while D for some reason, thought it important to let the world know that he never dated a girl with a jerry curl (yes, even in its proper context it sounds as random as I wrote it). Yes, the song sucks, but now I’m curious as to what happen to my copy of Downtown Science.

Perfection – Simple drum pattern for the beat and average lyrical output.  Perfection isn’t the term that comes to mind, more like BORING! Next…

Hit And Run – Run demonstrates his below average beat-boxing skills (Buffy he is not)while D takes care of the emceeing.  This wasn’t good.  After a strong production start, Mr. Rubin’s beats (with the help of Sam Sever) have taken a turn for the worst.

Raising Hell – Ah, that’s more like it.  Mr. Rubin hits us with one of his signature rock tinged tracks (which he actually plays live guitar on),  which Run and D spit over, nicely. Now things are getting back on track.

You Be Illin’ – This song reminds me of LL’s “I’m Going Back To Cali”.  Run’s reference to Dr J in the second verse definitely dates the song. This was slightly amusing, making it an okay listen.

Dumb Girl – Run and D tell tales about a gold digging, fame seeking, sex fiend, and since she possesses these qualities (I mean, traits) they proclaim her mentally inferior…or dumb.  The vocal sample of “dumb” starts to grade on the ear frombthe first time it’s heard.  This song was pretty dumb.

Son Of Byford – This was a complete waste of wax and time.  For some reason DMC felt it was necessary to revisit a portion of his rhyme from “Hit It Run” over Run’s beat box, this time without the help of a beat.  And ironically, we get the same results. Useless, but at least it doesn’t last long.

Proud To Be Black – As Run says at the beginning of the song, this was their “serious song”. They mix a little black history with random rhymes about themselves,  and for good measure, throw in a little insight on things they would never do (or be). PE they are not.  This was kind of a weird way to end the album.

Raising Hell was definitely a step in the right direction from the Legendary Queens crew.  It starts out very strong, only to fizzle in the middle, and scrambles to regain its form in the end, but that feeble attempt fizzles like alka-Selsior tablet in a cup of water.  Mr. Rubin’s beats definitely were refreshing (at least early on), and by 1986 standards well polished.  Run sounds sharper this go round and D, well, still sounds like D…where’s the deejay cut at?

Did The Source Get It Right?  With only a handful of good songs, Raising Hell is definitely not a classic, but will forever live off the mega hit that was “Walk This Way”, which propelled Run-DMC into the mainstream (with the help of MTV) and thrust them into superstardom.

-Deedub

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